Home with a Heartbeat
by JenCollins1
Summary: Uni's hard, so sometimes Dan ends up missing lunch. This time he goes to Phil, who gives him not only worried looks, a meal, and cooking skills, but also a home.


**Co-written with amazing WordsAblaze !**

 **Home With A Heartbeat**

It was supposed to be a casual Wednesday but no, everything was against Dan.

His phone chose to die right before it was meant to wake Dan up in the morning so he only had around five minutes to get to his class.

Then he forgot some of the books he needed and fucked up some class work, getting stern looks from teachers.

And as if all that wasn't enough, the jocks chose the right time to kick the last juice out of Dan in his PE lesson, making Dan end up on the bathroom floor, hugging a toilet for almost an hour, missing his lunch.

He just wanted to go back to the dorms and sleep but right then he got pulled back by an annoyed teacher who wanted him to re-do some work that he'd done poorly in the class before.

In the end, Dan's stomach was rumbling because he hadn't eaten all day, he was pissed and annoyed, wanting to simply disappear from the Earth.

But then he remembered that there was always something he could find comfort in on Earth, and that something was a certain kind-hearted nerd who lived not too far away.

Ignoring everyone else he passed on the way out, Dan started to walk, letting his mind wander and allowing his feet to lead him along the paths, through the streets, all the way to the little apartment where he felt more at home than he'd felt anywhere in all his life.

He stood in front of the now so familiar door, taking a couple of breaths, his mind running chaotically.

 _What if Phil was busy?_

 _What if someone was already hanging out there?_

 _What if Phil didn't want Dan to come today?_

Dan's breathing had become faster, his hands trembling a bit. He took a couple more deep breaths before hitting the doorbell, just one time. Simply listening to see if he could hear any sound on the other side of the door, holding his breath without even thinking.

He heard a distant shuffling, then a small thud and someone saying 'ow' before the door slid open a little and beautiful, concerned blue eyes appeared.

\- Dan? - Phil asked, somehow frowning but smiling with his eyes at the same time. - What's wrong? -

Dan just gave him a small shrug, clutching his elbow out of nervousness. - Just… Just a bad day, I guess. Are you busy? -

Phil smiled, so softly that Dan's troubles almost faded away entirely. His voice was kind when he said: - I'm never too busy for you, don't worry! -

The warmth that spreads through Dan is unlike any other, it's more intense than an oven on full blast but it's as gentle as a lone feather, making his heart smile and replacing his worries with the reassurance that he isn't alone, that people - even if it's just Phil for now - do like him, do care for him, do want him to be happy rather than alone.

\- Can I hang out for a bit? - Dan asked, not able to take his eyes off Phil's blue ones.

\- Of course! - Phil smiled again, stepping to the side so Dan could walk inside, which he then did, hearing Phil shut the door behind them.

Dan took his jacket off, putting his bag next to his shoes. His stomach grumbled once again, making him squeeze an arm around it.

Phil's smile quickly turned into a frown. - Why is your stomach so noisy? Didn't you have a good lunch? Do you need a snack? I might have some biscuits somewhere… -

\- Yeah… Today just isn't good. It's like the universe is crushing me down. - Dan sighed, not looking up, feeling a bit weak.

He felt Phil's arms around his shoulders, guiding him to the small sofa. The soft cushions were nice, he thought as Phil's arms left his shoulders.

Then, Phil's quiet voice: - Dan? What did you have for lunch? Did you even have lunch? You look like you're going to faint. -

Dan didn't feel strong enough to speak so he simply shook his head no, leaning into the cushions even more.

\- Dan, it's so late… Okay, wait here, - And with that, Phil's presence disappeared.

Still confused, Dan felt like he could fall asleep, wondering why Phil had left him. But then a glass was pushed into his hand and guided to his mouth, cool water running over his tongue and waking him up a little.

He blinked, blushing when he saw how Phil was kneeling in front of him like a concerned parent.

\- Can you stand? We need to get to the kitchen. - Phil held out a hand for Dan just in case he wanted any help walking.

\- Yeah, don't worry so much. - Dan gave Phil a tired smile, standing up just to feel his head spin a bit, making him grab Phil's hand.

Phil raised an eyebrow. - 'Don't worry so much.' - he mimicked, laughing, supporting Dan as they made their way to the kitchen.

Dan sat down, grabbing one cupcake that was on the cookie stand, starting to eat it.

\- How was your day? - Dan asked, already done with the small cupcake, looking up at Phil.

Phil blinked at him, wondering how he'd eaten that so quickly.

\- My day was fine, I guess. But how do you feel, do you think you can listen to something I explain without falling over? - Phil asked, a playful sparkle in his eyes.

\- Yes, I already feel better. - Dan smiled, revealing his dimples. - So tell me more about your day. -

Phil rolled his eyes. - No, come on, I want to teach you something. You're the most interesting part of my day anyway. -

\- Mmmm! What do you want to teach me? - Dan's eyes sparked up like a small puppy that had just seen his owner holding a tasty sweet in hand after a long day.

Even though he was tempted to just keep staring at Dan's adorable expression, Phil smirked. - Well, what if you come here and I'm asleep? You can't just go without lunch, Dan, so I'm going to teach you how to cook something! -

\- Me, cook? - Dan couldn't stop a laugh from coming out. - You know what happened when I tried to cook pasta. -

\- Cook it? You literally just set fire to it! - Phil laughed but stopped when he saw Dan's pout. - Alright, I see your point. But we're not cooking pasta, lucky for you! -

\- Okay, since this cupcake was the first food for me today, I agree. So what will we cook? - The spark in Dan's eyes was back, excitement washing over hunger.

\- So let's start with meat roulette with egg inside. - Phil smiled, taking out all the needed ingredients from the fridge, putting them down in front of Dan.

Phil told him what should be put into the bowl with the meat so it would come out perfect and wouldn't fall apart. Dan felt like Phil was teaching him how to take care of himself as well the dish and he felt his hopelessness stitching itself back together as he listened.

\- Okay, now put it into the oven and set the timer for 40 minutes. Now we can make veggies. - Phil smiled down at Dan, pushing Dan's hair out of his eyes. - These will be a lot easier. -

Dan nodded, slightly breathless. - Okay, they better be, I think this is almost as hard as running! -

But he was loving it, he loved spending time with Phil and he knew that this recipe would never be forgotten because it meant so much that Phil was teaching him to take care of him.

\- Lets clean and chop all these veggies so they're all the same size. - Phil smiled, getting a bit lost in Dan's eyes.

Dan nodded, having to literally tear his gaze away from Phil and take one of the knives Phil had set out earlier.

\- Just please, don't chop off your fingers. They will be needed in the future. - Phil laughed out, standing next to Dan, letting their hips brush together, starting to clean some veggies.

\- Wait, we have to clean them? - Dan asked, frowning so hard it looked like he'd suddenly grown a monobrow.

Phil sighed, taking a moment to process this. - Yes, Dan, come on, tell me you're joking? -

Dan went red. - Uh, of course, - he laughed nervously.

Phil shook his head, letting out a small laugh.

\- Do you want me to clean them and you to chop them? - Phil looked into Dan's eyes, their arms now brushing together.

\- Yes! - Dan almost shouted, then went even redder. - I mean, sure, that sounds good. -

\- Are you okay? You can sit down while chopping them. - Phil put down his knife, putting his hand against Dan's forehead to see if it was hot, wondering if he'd developed a fever.

Dan forgot how to breathe when he felt how soft Phil's hand was but he managed to shake his head. - No, no, I'm fine, I just, uhm, nothing. I'm fine, really. -

\- Okay… Just be careful. - Phil turned back to cleaning the veggies, giving them to Dan to chop. - We need any seasoning you want to put on them, salt, peppers, greens. Anything you like. And a bit of oil and just a bit of butter for better taste. -

\- Anything else? - Dan joked, chopping the one Phil had just handed him. He frowns when he registers what Phil had said. - Wait, do oil and butter not do the same thing? I don't get it. -

\- Yes, they do but butter gives more of a taste to it. - Phil smiled down at how cute Dan looked.

Dan nodded, making a note of that, not wanting to forget anything Phil had said. But then he saw Phil's fond expression and almost dropped the knife. - What? Do I have something on my face? Where is it? -

\- No, no, there is nothing on your face. You're just cute. - Phil looked down, small blush making its way on his cheeks.

\- Oh. - was all Dan could manage, looking down at the knife to hide his massive grin. - Thanks. I guess you're pretty cute too. -

\- Thank you, boo. - Phil couldn't help a big smile spread over his face, helping Dan to chop the veggies.

Dan's heart almost melted hearing the little nickname but he managed to carry on chopping until they were done, his smile still strong when they'd all been put into a bowl. His face had started to hurt but every time he looked at Phi, his smile became even stronger.

\- Your dimples have gotten even deeper, it's so cute. I really like them. - Phil slid a finger over one of Dan's dimples without even noticing what he was doing.

Dan's eyes went wide, his whole body freezing for a moment, before he relaxed and leaned into Phil's touch, appreciating his gentleness. A part of him wanted to make a comment about how his dimples weren't as deep as his admiration for Phil but he didn't want to say it, not sure how Phil would react.

Phil stared deep into Dan's eyes for a moment longer, simply smiling, letting his hand run through Dan's hair. He wasn't sure when or why exactly he'd moved his hand to Dan's hair but he wasn't going to complain.

\- Erm… Seasoning… - Phil mumbled without even trying to register what he should do right now.

Dan's hair felt so soft and Dan was smiling so wide, Phil's heart skipped a beat, making warmth spread all over his body. Dan just was so damn cute that Phil was losing his mind.

\- Hey, are you okay? Now you look a bit faint, - Dan said, reaching up to touch Phil's forehead, brushing away his fringe as gently as possible.

\- Dan, I really like you. Like, like like you… - Phil mumbled, hearing his blood rush faster, feeling nervous all of sudden.

Dan was feeling just as nervous.. - Like, really like like me? - He knew he sounded crazy but he needed to be sure he wasn't dreaming.

\- Yeah, like really like you. Even a bit more than simply like like you… - Phil knew that he was turning red by now, he couldn't take his eyes off Dan.

Once again, Dan had nothing to say, so he just let his hand fall back to his side before reaching out for Phil's hand, lacing their fingers together, squeezing his hand. - I think I like you more than simple like as well… -

\- Really…? - Phil asked with lots of hope in his voice, holding onto Dan's hand a bit harder.

Dan swallowed before nodding shyly. - Yeah, really… really really, you spoon. - He held up the knife with his other hand, then frowned… - Uh, you knife? -

Phil started laughing, shaking his head.

\- We should finish these so we can put them in the oven. - Phil smiled, catching his breath, still holding Dan's hand.

\- Right… - Dan looked down at their hands, not wanting to let go, still feeling small fireworks dance across his skin where Phil was touching him. - Can we do this with just half of our hands? -

\- Erm… I think so. - Phil smiled down at their hands, telling Dan what to put into the bowl, starting to mix everything together before letting go of Dan's hand but, before Dan could protest, putting it around Dan's side, standing behind him so his whole body was pressed against Dan's, holding Dan's hands and teaching how to mix everything together before putting it all into cooking bag.

It's not like Dan was purposely not paying attention, it's just that Phil was so warm and comforting that he didn't want to think about veggies, or anything else.

His mind was telling him to stop cooking and just turn around so he could hug Phil and melt into his warmth but his stomach needed food so he had no choice but to let Phil guide his hands, the two of them putting the bag into the oven.

\- Do you want to cook the sauce? It's not that important. - Phil wanted to just pull Dan into his arms.

\- If you want, - Dan whispered, literally itching to turn around. - I mean, who needs sauce when I have someone as saucy as you? -

Phil laughed, he turned Dan around, he simply couldn't resist anymore. Phil looked down into Dan's eyes, his own shining so bright. He didn't even notice how he was pulling Dan closer, into something like a hug, but still managing to stare into his eyes.

Dan felt his face flush yet again but he didn't care, he was lost in the way Phil's arms were around him like a protective cage.

\- Phil… Can I… Can we have- Can I hug you? - He hated himself for stumbling over his words but he couldn't help it, Phil just did that to him.

\- Of course, boo. - Phil give Dan a warm smile, his cheeks starting to colour with a soft pink.

And then they were hugging, and it was like the missing piece to Dan's happiness had finally been found. Phil was still a bit taller than him so he could feel Phil's breath on his hair and Phil's hands were flat on his back, sending warmth across his skin. He was just wrapped in comfort and it was the best thing he'd ever done in his life.

Phil felt a bit dizzy from all the warmth, feeling Dan's heart beat against his chest, Dan's breath against his neck, and, in that moment, Phil knew, he knew that this was something a lot more than simply liking each other, Phil knew that he wanted to spend the rest of his life with the younger boy in his arms, his little happiness.

Phil smiled, looking down, putting small kisses on top of Dan's head, squeezing him a bit closer to himself before the oven timer went off, making them jump.

Dan gripped Phil tighter out of shock, then stepped back, embarrassed. - Uh, sorry, wait, is it done? -

He stood watching as Phil went to the oven, not trusting himself to handle something that could burn him when his heart was still beating like crazy.

\- Yup, it's ready! And the veggies are too! - Phil smiled putting everything down, - Will you please take out the dishes? -

Dan blinked. -Uh, sure. Where are they? - He asked, before shaking his head. - It's fine, I'll find them… -

 _There can't be that many places they could be, right?_

Apparently, the universe wanted to embarrass him further because he found them in the last cupboard, taking them out to see Phil leaning on the counter with an amused smile on his face.

Phil shook his head, putting their food on the dishes.

\- Will you want some juice or maybe wine? - Phil asked opening his fridge.

For a second, Dan was tempted to say yes to wine but he shook his head, he wanted to remember this time, he didn't want to wake up tomorrow and forget everything, so juice would have to do.

\- Juice, please? - he asked, as politely as possible.

\- Will ribena be okay? Or do you want apple juice? - Phil leaned down, searching his fridge, letting his ass stick out more obviously.

Dan had to force himself to cough and clear his head so he wouldn't still be staring if Phil turned around. He nodded, then realised Phil couldn't see him. - Uh, yeah, ribena is fine, thanks. -

\- Oki doki. - Phil stood back up, mixing ribena for both of them, putting it on table.

\- It kind of looks like wine, - Dan commented, choosing to look at the ribena instead of Phil because he knew that he'd just go red again if he did.

\- Yeah, you made the perfect lunch/dinner for us. - Phil smiled, starting to eat, closing his eyes at the taste exploding in his mouth, complimenting Dan for cooking it.

Dan grinned, taking a bite too, his eyes widening at the amazing taste. - Phil, you're a genius. -

He didn't wait for a reply, carrying on eating because his stomach was still mostly empty and the food was just too delicious, too perfect. Maybe he was biased but he didn't care, this was still the best meal he'd had for a while.

\- You did everything so well, now you will be able to cook for yourself. - Phil smiled, putting the dishes away.

Dan smiled equally as wide, unable to help himself; Phil's smile was contagious.

\- Yeah, I guess. But I might need you to, um, teach me some more… - he mumbled, mostly just needing an excuse to come back to Phil.

\- Of course. I will teach you everything I know. - Phil smiled, turning around to face Dan, leaning against the countertop.

\- I can't wait - Dan replied, slightly distracted by Phil's casually model-like pose.

Phil frowned a little. - Are you sure you're not ill? You look a little flustered… -

\- Yeah, I'm just feeling full. - Dan gave a nervous laugh, leaning against the wall.

But Phil wasn't convinced. - Really? I didn't think we made that much… Did you eat too quickly? I don't want to get ill. -

\- I'm really not ill. Don't worry. You won't catch anything from me now. - Dan stretched a bit.

Phil still looked worried but he nodded. - Okay. When do you need to be back? Do we have time to do anything else? - he asked, hope in his voice.

\- I'm free all day. We can spend it together. Of course, only if you want… - Dan stumbled over his words.

Phil's eyes lit up and he nodded eagerly. - Of course, I'd love that! -

He walked past Dan, taking his hand and pulling him along, leading them to the main room, where the sofa was.

Dan smiled, not wanting to let go of Phil's hand.

Phil seemed to be wanting the same thing because he said: - I'd suggest playing a video game but I kind of like holding your hand… Uh, how about a film? -

\- It sounds amazing, - Dan couldn't stop smiling.

\- You don't even know which one I've chosen yet! - Phil laughed, but he couldn't be annoyed, Dan's smile was just too cute and his dimples were as beautiful as angel's wings.

\- No matter which film you choose, it'll be the best way to spend time just because it will be time spending with you. - Dan looked at Phil in adoration, feeling so in love.

Phil felt his heart spin. He was touched and he didn't know what to say in reply to that, he ended up just staring at Dan in awe and getting lost in his deep, warm eyes.

Dan was fully lost in Phil, he slowly stood up on his tiptoes, softly pressing his lips against Phil's soft ones.

Phil's brain went blank for a moment before he remembered to move, to kiss back, to show Dan how much he loved him.

Dan felt like he was in heaven. Everything was just perfect, he had found his happiness again and his home. This time it had a heartbeat and name. It was Phil.


End file.
